Biased blind side temporary fasteners, systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A temporary fastener a plunger having a distal portion including a plurality of plunger fingers, where depressing the plunger causes axial translation of a collet body to place the temporary fastener in an activated state where a plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body radially converge and where releasing the plunger places the temporary fastener in a clamped state in which the plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body are outwardly displaced. The temporary fastener further includes a web element positioned at a proximal end of a rod and including a plurality of opening permitting the plurality of plunger fingers to axially translate there through during depression and release of the plunger. The temporary fastener further includes a spring positioned within a case and exerting a restorative force on the collet body and the plunger in response to depression of the plunger.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/976,766, entitled “BIASED BLIND SIDE TEMPORARYFASTENERS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, and filed on May 10, 2018. U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/976,766 is a continuationof U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/273,197, entitled“BIASED BLIND SIDE TEMPORARY FASTENERS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, filed onOct. 13, 2011. U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No.13/273,197 is a continuation-in-part of International Application No.PCT/US2010/001098, entitled “BIASED BLIND SIDE TEMPORARY FASTENERS,SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, and filed on Apr. 13, 2010. InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2010/001098 claims benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/212,632 entitled “BIASED BLIND SIDE TEMPORARYFASTENERS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS” filed on Apr. 13, 2009. The entirecontents of each of the above-listed applications are herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Biased blind side temporary fasteners are used primarily to hold atleast one work piece, commonly a panel-type material, in registry withanother work piece, each defining at least one commonly aligned holethrough which the fastener may at least partially pass. Once the two ormore work pieces are so aligned and retained, they may be subject tosubsequent material processing, e.g., welding, permanent fastening, etc.Examples of environments wherein such fasteners are commonly usedinclude the aerospace and automotive industries.

A common form of such fasteners is the “CLECO” fastener, an example ofwhich can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,542. In such fasteners, astatic central projection anchored to opposing wall portions of thefastener case separates a pair of legs that axially translate about theprojection in the working region of the fastener. Depressing a plungercauses the legs to translate along the projection until the distal endsthereof clear the projection, thereby permitting those portions of thelegs to collapse toward each other, effectively modifying the externaldiameter of the distal ends. A spring interfaces with the plunger andthe case to resist the plunger depression. The legs are linked to theplunger and therefore assume a clamped state as a nominal state when thespring is permitted to fully extend within the limits of its enclosure.

While this style of fastener may be adequate in certain situations,e.g., low tolerance material processing, the legs are at best onlypartially hemispherical, which fails to address issues of lateral playbetween the work pieces when compressively held together by thefastener. Moreover, such fasteners are more likely to react negativelyto work piece rotation given the inclusion of three or more elementsthat are not mechanically linked to each other (there is intentional“float” between all components to permit translation of the legsrelative to the projection, but this float is subject to very littlerestraint in the plane of the projection).

SUMMARY

A biased blind side fasteners for temporarily securing together at leasttwo work pieces that each define an aperture, bore, hole, or orifice(hereinafter collectively “hole” unless otherwise specified) throughwhich at least a portion of the fastener may pass is provided. Methodsfor making and using fastener embodiments are also provided. Use of thefastener embodiments enable the temporary yet secure association of atleast two work pieces wherein a bias element within the fastener causesa clamping force to form between the distal portions or ends of twoelements of the fastener, each of which compressively engages with awork piece.

A first series of fastener embodiments according to one examplecomprises an elongate, hollow case for substantially housing a generallycylindrical collet body and a bias means, and at least partially housinga central rod having a proximal end linked to a proximal portion of thecase by a web element, and further comprises a plunger for temporarilyovercoming an inherent clamping bias, thus allowing for the insertion ofa fastener into the work pieces' holes, wherein the plunger is formed tosubstantially translatably pass through the web element. Through use ofa generally cylindrical collet body, a high level of work piecealignment keyed from the holes or orifices can be achieved, in manyinstances resulting in a total clearance between the collet body of thefastener and the work piece hole or orifice of less than 0.001″ in anyradial direction.

A second series of fastener embodiments according to another examplecomprises an elongate, hollow case for substantially housing a pluralityof clamping legs and a bias means, and at least partially housing acentral rod having a proximal end linked to a proximal portion of thecase by a web element, and further comprises a plunger for temporarilyovercoming an inherent clamping bias, thus allowing for the insertion ofa fastener into the work pieces' holes, wherein the plunger is formed tosubstantially translatably pass through the web element.

The collet body of the first series of fastener embodiments is similarin construction and function to those disclosed in WO 03/069971(application number PCT/US03/02925), the disclosure of which isincorporated herein. In summary, a collet body according to the fastenerembodiments includes an axis and comprises an outer surface defining anouter diameter, an inner surface defining an inner diameter, a distalportion having a distal end defining a first opening and a proximalportion having a proximal end defining a second opening, wherein thedistal portion comprises a plurality of flexible fingers, distalportions of which constitute the collet body distal end and at leastpartially define the first opening, and further comprise grippingportions extending radially from the outer surface thereof.

With respect to the plurality of flexible fingers, many embodiments havefingers with a radially converging bias, whereby the distal portions ofthe fingers radially converge to establish a reduced inner surfacediameter at the collet body distal end (a tapered form). As will bedescribed in more detail below, this reduced inner surface diameter isless than the outer surface diameter of a central rod.

The collet body gripping portions referenced earlier include a leadingface and a trailing face, the latter of which constitutes a reactivesurface for compressively contacting the face of a work piece and aresubstantially orthogonal to the collet body axis. The convergence ofeach leading face and trailing face defines a peripheral edge or portionthat represents the maximum diameter of the collet body thereat whenconsidered in view of any other gripping portions and when the colletbody is in a generally (non-tapered) cylindrical form.

It should be noted that when the collet body fingers are in a radiallyconverged state, the maximum external surface diameter at its grippingportions is less than any diameter of a working portion of the colletbody (as used herein, the working portion of the collet body is thatportion of the collet body that may reside or outside the case duringoperation of a fastener embodiment, i.e., the stoke of the collet body).By establishing this limit to the external surface diameter, the distalend of the collet body will be able to traverse each work piece hole inorder for the gripping portions to reach an opposing work piece reactivesurface. As will be described in more detail below, this limitation alsofacilitates fabrication of certain embodiments.

The generally cylindrical case functions as a housing for at least partof all elements comprising the fastener embodiments, and primarilyencompasses the bias means and most of the collet body during a nominalstate. The case includes an outer surface defining an outer diameter, aninner surface defining an inner diameter of sufficient dimension toaccept the collet body, a distal end defining a first opening and aproximal end defining a second opening, the two ends being separated bya body portion.

In addition to providing translational guidance for certain embodimentelements as will be described in more detail below with respect toselected fastener embodiments, the case directly or indirectly providesboth a work piece reactive surface and retention means in the form of aninner surface reduced diameter portion at the distal end thereof. In thecase of the former, the distal end outer surface functions as a reactivesurface when abutted against a work piece during use of fastenerembodiments; in the case of the latter, the minimum inner surfacediameter at or proximate to the distal end (the reduced inner diameterportion) is sized to permit translation of at least the working portionof the collet body there through, but preferably not so great so as topermit translation of the gripping portion of the collet body distal endthere through when the same is in a non-tapered or expanded state.

The rod functions as a guide for reciprocal motion of the collet body,and a structure to radially outwardly displace the collet body fingerswhile the device is in an operative or nominal state. The rod includesan outer surface and comprises a distal end and a proximal end separatedby a body portion. Like the prior art, the rod remains substantiallyaxially stationary during operation of the various device embodiments.However, with respect to the first series of fastener embodiments, itaccommodates a fully cylindrical means for engaging a distal or blindwork piece by anchoring its proximal end to a proximal portion of thecase. In this manner, the collet body, which wholly surrounds the rod,is free to reciprocate from the proximal end of the rod to the distalend of the rod, although when assembled, the case functionally limitsthe extent of such reciprocation.

The bias means, which is often times a compression spring, is heldsubstantially within the confines of the case and engages the case andthe collet body. In many embodiments, the bias means reacts against thereduced diameter portion of the case at a first end and an increaseddiameter portion at the proximal end of the collet body. As aconsequence of this arrangement, movement of the collet body distal endtowards the case reduced diameter portion is resisted by the bias meas.This resistance is elastic in nature and creates a restorative forcebetween the collet body distal end and the case reduced diameter portionwhen the collet body is displaced from its nominal position.

In a nominal state, there is preferably at least some bias presentbetween the case (which acts as a mechanical ground) and the collet bodysuch that the collet body distal end is in compression with the distalend of the case. In this manner, even exceptionally thin work pieces canbe subjected to the clamping effect of the fastener. Preferably,substantially all of the bias means force is present in this nominalstate.

The plunger is the element responsible for imparting translation to thecollet body when its compression force exceeds the bias of the biasmeans. Thus, when the restorative force of the bias means is overcome bythe compression force imparted by the plunger, the distal end of thecollet body is caused to translate towards distal end of the rod.Depending upon the length of the rod exposed to the environment, thedistal end of the collet body will at some point translate past thedistal end of the rod, thereby permitting a radial constriction bias inthe collet body fingers to radially converge the fingers. In this state,the maximum diameter of the collet body at the gripping elements isequal to or less than the outer diameter of the collet body at itsworking portion. Those persons skilled in the art will of courseappreciate that even if the fingers are not fully collapsed, aninsertion force presented against the gripping elements leading face,which are acute to the collet body axis, will impart an additionalradial convergence force, thereby causing further radial convergence andfunctionally achieving the desired diameter reducing effect.

Because the bias means must be between the case and the collet body, andbecause the plunger must act, directly or indirectly, upon the colletbody, a way must exist for the plunger to act on the collet body whilestill permitting the rod to be linked to the mechanical ground of thecase in order to be substantially axially static. Embodiments of thefastener provide a solution by including a web element at the proximalportion of the rod and the proximal portion of the case. The web elementincludes a plurality of openings through which conforming fingers of theplunger may pass. Thus, plungers according to one embodiment comprise anouter surface defining an outer diameter, an inner surface defining aninner diameter, a distal portion having a distal end defining a firstopening and a proximal portion having a proximal end comprising a headportion, wherein the distal portion comprises a plurality of fingers,distal portions of which at least partially define the first opening andlateral faces of which define a plurality of slots, two each beingcircumferentially adjacent to each finger. The lateral faces arepreferably spaced from each other a distance no greater than thedistance between corresponding structures in the web element, thuspermitting the fingers to axially translate within the confines of theweb openings.

The web element may be part of either the case or the rod, or may be adiscrete component introduced during assembly of a fastener according tothese features. Preferably, the web element comprises a plurality ofradially aligned arms like spokes on a wheel where the hub is the rodand the wheel is the case inner surface. By having a discontinuousperiphery, i.e., the case inner surface is exposed within the arcsections, the plunger outer surface diameter can closely match that ofthe case inner surface diameter, and benefit from a close fitrelationship there with as described below, and can further betterengage the collet body. In any event, the web element is at leasttemporarily fixedly attached to both the case and the rod.

To prevent unintended egress of the plunger fingers, many embodimentshave fingers that comprise a radially extending flange that interfereswith a locking ring or washer inserted at the web element afterinsertion of the plunger fingers. This locking ring or washer may thenserve two purposes: to prevent egress of the plunger finger distal endsfrom inside the case via the web element openings, and prevent egress ofthe web element (and therefore also the rod) from inside the case.

Because the stroke of the plunger is proportional to the stroke of thecollet body, the stroke can be substantial in comparison to the plungerouter diameter. Recalling that the plunger does not begin to envelopethe rod until that portion of the plunger enters the case (and that therod is substantially translationally fixed during operation of thefastener), any translation guidance can only be established no earlierthan the case proximal end when the rod is being translated into thecase. Therefore, consideration may be given to the potential that theplunger axis will fail to remain coaxial with that of the rod(hereinafter a “canted” relationship). It then becomes desirable incertain embodiments to incorporate splines or similar meshingengagements between the plunger and the rod and/or case.

These alignment means for facilitating proper stroke orientation may beformed on any element that directly contacts the plunger. Thus, theplunger outer surface may comprise lands and/or grooves that interactwith functionally complementary structure formed on the inner surface ofthe case or with a bushing linked to the case through which the plungerpasses. Similarly, the plunger inner surface may comprise lands and/orgrooves that interact with functionally complementary structure formedon the outer surface of the rod. Additionally, sectional faces thatdefine a plurality of fingers of the plunger may interact with landsformed in the case inner surface or with a web element present, as inone series of embodiments, at the proximal end of the case. Of course,the simplest form of alignment means is a close fit relationship betweena smooth cylindrical rod outer surface and a smooth cylindrical plungerinner surface in at least one portion of the plunger and/or rod. Theskilled practitioner will of course appreciate that a myriad ofcombinations of the above concepts is possible, and that suchpermutations are considered within the parameters of the presentinvention.

For purposes of this patent, the terms “area”, “boundary”, “part”,“portion”, “surface”, “zone”, and their synonyms, equivalents and pluralforms, as may be used herein and by way of example, are intended toprovide descriptive references or landmarks with respect to the articleand/or process being described. These and similar or equivalent termsare not intended, nor should be inferred, to delimit or define per seelements of the referenced article and/or process, unless specificallystated as such or facially clear from the several drawings and/or thecontext in which the term(s) is/are used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a first fastener embodiment with a casethere for shown in phantom wherein the fastener is shown in a nominalstate;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 but wherein thefastener is shown in a partially activated state;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 but wherein thefastener is shown in a fully activated state;

FIG. 4 is an exploded parts elevation view of the fastener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the fastener of FIG. 1, shown rotatedapproximately 90°;

FIG. 6 is a detailed cross section view of the proximal end of thefastener of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded parts perspective view of the proximal end of thefastener of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8A shows the embodiment of FIG. 7 in a partially assembled state,particularly highlighting the translational meshing of the plungerfingers in the web openings;

FIG. 8B is an alternative view of the embodiment of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A shows the embodiment of FIG. 8A in a fully assembled state;

FIG. 9B is an alternative view of the embodiment of FIG. 9A;

FIGS. 10A-10F sequentially show the assembly of the first fastenerembodiment;

FIG. 11 is an elevation view of the first fastener embodiment insertedinto the aligned holes of two work pieces wherein the plunger has beendepressed to cause the collet body distal end to translate past thedistal end of the rod;

FIG. 12 shows the embodiment of FIG. 11 in a clamped up state, afterrelease of the plunger;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of afastener; and

FIGS. 14A-14F are various perspective views of the embodiment of FIG. 13in nominal, partially active and fully active states.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terminal end of any numeric lead line in the several drawings, whenassociated with any structure or process, reference or landmarkdescribed in this section, is intended to representatively identify andassociate such structure or process, reference or landmark with respectto the written description of such object or process. It is notintended, nor should be inferred, to delimit or define per se boundariesof the referenced object or process, unless specifically stated as suchor facially clear from the drawings and the context in which the term(s)is/are used. Unless specifically stated as such or facially clear fromthe several drawings and the context in which the term(s) is/are used,all words and visual aids should be given their common commercial and/orscientific meaning consistent with the context of the disclosure herein.

With the foregoing in mind, the following description is presented toenable a person skilled in the art to make and use the claimedinvention. Various modifications to the described embodiments will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principlesdisclosed herein may be applied to other embodiments and applicationsthereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention, as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the claimedinvention is not intended to nor should be limited to the disclosedand/or described embodiments, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Turning then to the several embodiments, wherein like numerals indicatelike parts, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-4, a first fastenerembodiment 20 shown. With particular attention for the moment to FIG. 4,fastener 20 comprises the following primary elements: collet body 30,case 50, rod 70, bushing 100, plunger 130 and locking ring 120.Returning then to FIGS. 1-3, it can be seen that collet body 30 includesouter surface 32 (and by implication, an inner surface), distal end 36and proximal end 44. At a distal portion of collet body 30 are aplurality of fingers 38 defined largely by slots 42. Fingers 38 furtherinclude gripping elements 40, which include an acute leading face orchamfer as well as a trailing face for reacting against a distal workpiece, as is best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

Collet body 30 partially surrounds rod 70, and includes outer surface72, distal end 74, which includes chamfer 76 to facilitate radialexpansion or contraction of fingers 38 during translation of collet bodydistal end 36 there past, and second end 78. As will be described ingreater detail below, proximal end 78 engages with case 50 to provide ameans for mitigating or preventing axial movement of rod 70 relative tocase 50.

Surrounding both a majority of collet body 30 and rod 70 when fastener20 is in the nominal state shown in FIG. 1 is a bias means in the formof spring 160, and surrounding all these elements is case 50. Case 50includes outer surface 52 and inner surface 54. The case is bounded bydistal end 58 and proximal end 64. Between the distal end and theproximal end 64 is body portion 56. Distal end 58 includes return or lipportion 60, which creates a reduced inner surface diameter orifice thereat. This return or lip portion has inner seat 62 a, which receivesdistal end 162 of spring 160, and has outer abutment surface 62 b forreacting against a proximal work piece, as is best shown in FIGS. 11 and12. Proximal end 64 of case 50 includes enlarged portion 66 defining webelement seat 68, which is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. The spring 160also includes a proximal end 164.

The last major element of fastener 20 is plunger 130. Plunger 130, whichmay be preferably constructed from a polymeric material, has outersurface 132 and inner surface 134 as well as distal end 136 axially orlongitudinally opposite proximal end 150. In addition to reduced cost, apolymeric material will usually possess a certain amount of resiliency,which beneficially extends tool life. Lateral impacts or the like onplunger 130 will not cause permanent deformation and consequential lossof functionality. While proximal end 150 includes head 152, which may beformed as required by use considerations, distal end 136 requiresconsideration of its interface with web element 80 discussed below andshown in FIG. 7. Regardless of the precise nature of web element 80,distal end 136 comprises a plurality if distal ends of fingers 138,which are defined by slots 142 formed in body portion 144. Each slot 142is bounded by sectional faces 140, which as will be described below,cooperate with sectional faces of the web element to facilitate properalignment of plunger 130 therein. Additionally, distal end 136 comprisesannular ring segments 146 that include distal face 148 a forcompressively contacting bushing 100 and proximal face 148 b forcompressively contacting locking ring 120 (see FIG. 7). The bushing 100includes an outer surface 102.

Also shown in FIGS. 1-4 is optional bushing 110. This element functionsas an alignment component providing a suitable seat for annular ring 46of collet body proximal end 44 at distal facing surface 104 (see FIG.6), and a suitable seat for distal surfaces 148 a of fingers 138 atproximal facing surface 106 (see FIG. 7). Peripheral surface 108 aprovides additional location support for plunger 130 and rod 70 as ittranslates along rod 70 towards distal end 58 of case 50, whileperipheral surface 108 b provides location support for fingers 138 atdistal end 136 of plunger 130.

Turning specifically to FIGS. 7-9B, it can be seen that fingers 138 aresized to fit within the openings formed by arms 90 (which form webelement 80) and limited by inner surface 54 of expanded portion 66. Arms90 include outer surfaces 92. To prevent the unintended removal thefingers (or of web element 80) from expanded portion 66, locking ring120, which may have barbs or buttress threads formed on an outerperipheral surface thereof, is inserted after inclusion of plunger 130into fastener 20. As best shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, once seated, lockingring 120 obstructively contacts proximal surfaces 148 b of annular ringsegments 146 as well as proximal facing surface 84 of web element 80,thereby retaining both within the confines of case 50.

FIGS. 10A-10F illustrate a method of assembling fastener 20, while FIGS.11 and 12 illustrate a method of compressively associating two workpieces using a fastener. Finally, FIGS. 13 and 14A-14F illustrate analternative embodiment of a fastener.

1. A temporary fastener, comprising: a plunger having a distal portionincluding a plurality of plunger fingers, where depressing the plungercauses axial translation of a collet body to place the temporaryfastener in an activated state in which a plurality of flexible fingersin the collet body radially converge and where releasing the plungerplaces the temporary fastener in a clamped state in which the pluralityof flexible fingers in the collet body are outwardly displaced; a webelement positioned at a proximal end of a rod and including a pluralityof openings mating with the plurality of plunger fingers to allow foraxially translation of the plurality of plunger fingers with regard tothe rod when the plunger is axially actuated; and a spring positionedwithin a case and exerting a restorative force on the collet body andthe plunger in response to depression of the plunger.
 2. The temporaryfastener of claim 1, where the rod and the spring are enclosed withinthe case when the temporary fastener is in the activated state.
 3. Thetemporary fastener of claim 1, where a distal portion of the rod axiallyextends away from a distal end of the case when the temporary fasteneris in the clamped state.
 4. The temporary fastener of claim 1, where theweb element includes a plurality of arms extending radially outward froma central axis of the rod and where the plurality of openings in the webelement are positioned between the plurality of arms.
 5. The temporaryfastener of claim 1, where the plurality of flexible fingers in thecollet body include a first flexible finger spaced away from a secondflexible finger and where the collet body includes a rod sleeve at leastpartially enclosing the rod.
 6. The temporary fastener of claim 5, wherethe plurality of plunger fingers include a first plunger finger and asecond plunger finger having a partially annular cross-section, wherethe web element includes a first washer and a second washer, and whereeach of the first and second washers include two planar sides and twocurved sides.
 7. A fastener removably coupling two work pieces, thefastener comprising: a collet body having a distal portion including aplurality of flexible fingers having gripping portions extendingradially from outer surfaces of the plurality of flexible fingers; acase having an inner surface at least partially surrounding the colletbody, a work piece contacting portion, and a distal end; a rod at leastpartially surrounded by the case and having a distal end and a proximalend, where the distal end of the rod interacts with the plurality offlexible fingers to radially expand the plurality of flexible fingerswhen the fastener is in a clamped state; a plunger having a distalportion including a plurality of plunger fingers, where the distalportion includes a plurality of slots and where depressing the plungercauses axial translation of the collet body; a web element positioned atthe proximal end of the rod and including a plurality of openings havingthe plurality of plunger fingers positioned therebetween to permit theplurality of plunger fingers to axially translate with regard to the rodwhen the plunger is actuated; and a spring positioned within the caseand exerting a restorative force on the collet body and the plunger whenthe plunger is depressed to place the fastener in an activated state. 8.The fastener of claim 7, where the work piece contacting portion of thecase and the gripping portions of the plurality of flexible fingersexert a clamping force on the two work pieces when the fastener is inthe clamped state.
 9. The fastener of claim 7, where the spring iscoupled to the distal end of the case and a proximal end of the colletbody.
 10. The fastener of claim 7, where the rod is translationallyfixed with regard to the case during operation of the fastener and wherethe web element is fixedly attached to the rod.
 11. The fastener ofclaim 7, where the rod is unthreaded along its length.
 12. The fastenerof claim 7, further comprising a bushing seated in an annular ring of aproximal end of the collet body and a locking ring surrounding a portionof the plurality of plunger fingers.
 13. The fastener of claim 7, wherethe plurality of flexible fingers in the collet body include a firstflexible finger spaced away from a second flexible finger having apartially annular shape and a rod sleeve at least partially enclosingthe rod.
 14. The fastener of claim 7, where the plurality of plungerfingers include a first plunger finger and a second plunger fingerhaving a partially annular cross-section, where the web element includesa first washer and a second washer, and where each of the first andsecond washers include two opposing planar sides and two opposing curvedsides.
 15. A temporary fastener, comprising: a case including an innersurface at least partially surrounding a collet body; a collet body atleast partially surrounded by the inner surface of the case, the colletbody including an inner surface and a plurality of flexible fingershaving gripping portions; a rod at least partially surrounded by theinner surface of the collet body and including a distal end interactingwith the plurality of flexible fingers to radially expand the pluralityof flexible fingers when the fastener is in a clamped state where theplurality of flexible fingers are outwardly displaced; a plunger havinga distal portion including a plurality of plunger fingers with apartially annular shape and radially extending from a head at a proximalend, where depressing the plunger causes axial translation of the colletbody to place the fastener in an activated state where the plurality offlexible fingers radially converge; a web element positioned at aproximal end of the rod and including a plurality of openings positionedbetween a plurality of radially aligned arms mated with the plurality ofplunger fingers such that the plurality of plunger fingers areconfigured to axially translate with regard to the rod responsive toplunger actuation; and a spring positioned within the case, partiallysurrounding at least a portion of the collet body and the rod, andexerting a restorative force on the collet body and the plunger when theplunger depressed.
 16. The temporary fastener of claim 15, where releaseof the plunger causes the temporary fastener to be placed in the clampedstate.
 17. The temporary fastener of claim 16, where in the clampedstate the gripping portions in the plurality of flexible fingers and awork piece contacting portion in the case exert a clamping force on twowork pieces.
 18. The temporary fastener of claim 15, further comprisinga bushing seated in an annular ring of a proximal end of the collet bodyand a locking ring surrounding a portion of the plurality of plungerfingers.
 19. The temporary fastener of claim 15, where the web elementis fixedly coupled to the rod.
 20. The temporary fastener of claim 15,where the rod is unthreaded along its length.